Encounters
by Adorable Hazel
Summary: He was attracted to her at the first sight and at second, he was left speechless. Each encounter has left a mark of her on him, igniting something beautiful, and much more powerful than he realized, in him.


_I was at the airport running late for my flight to Chicago when I saw her coming out of the terminal with a smile on her lips and eyes filled with content and happiness. She was wearing a white sundress and her hair were tied in a pony tail. She opened her arms wide and ran past me, tackling a little boy in a fierce bear hug. I was so stumped by her that I forgot about running late and just stood there, watching her interact with the little boy. Her animated conversation came to a halt as the little boy pouted and pointed to her hair. I watched her as she ran her fingers through her pony tail, a confused expression etched on her face. He mumbled something making her laugh and untying the knot in her hair, letting it fall loose._

_She kissed his cheek before getting up and hugging… a guy. Before I could think of anything else, I was brought out of my reverie by the last boarding call. I started walking reluctantly but before completely leaving, I turned back and saw her leaving with the guy. He ruffled her hair making her pout before bringing her closer to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder while he had his hand on her waist. The little boy was walking ahead of them. _

_I boarded the plane with an image of her in my head. I tried to shake it off my mind but it was all in vain, so I decided to chalk it up to attraction, after all she was very beautiful. I never knew that, that one moment will forever be etched in my mind and heart._

_I was in Chicago for the next two years and there wasn't a single day when she didn't cross my mind. I thought of her every single day and when I finally got back from Chicago, I felt like my prayers were answered because I saw her again with the same little boy at an ice cream stand, just opposite to the cafe I was in. _

_She didn't change in the past two years and my image of her didn't do any justice to her beauty. She is an exotic beauty. I was enamored by her. I can't chalk it up to just attraction. I knew I felt something for her when I was in Chicago but seeing her again, it was like the emotion in me was fueled by something unseen, something much more powerful. _

_I quickly got up from my seat, dropped a few bucks to pay for the caffeine I haven't had a sip of but I could care less. I ran out of the shop and crossed the road in a hurry but as I stood just behind her, I didn't know what to say to her. I stood dumbfounded trying to get my muddled brain to work properly and say something, anything… just a hello. I was still contemplating on what to say when something or rather someone crashed into me. It was her, she was wide eyed with a half empty ice cream cone in her hand. I looked down and found the ice cream smudged on my shirt._

_That spot isn't gonna look lovely, I was sure of that but I couldn't bring myself to be angry at her. She kept apologizing while fussing over the spot, trying to wipe it clean with her handkerchief. I held her hand to stop her from worrying over it but just as I touched her hand, she looked up and our eyes met. She turned her head away and blushed a lovely shade of pink taking a step back. _

_Her actions made me realize how close we were standing and involuntarily I stepped back too. I told her it was okay and that she need not worry. She frowned and asked, "Is your place nearby?"_

_I was confused on why she asked that but I answered nevertheless, "No."_

_She frowned some more and looked deep in thought. As if winning the internal battle she was having, she said, "My place is just around the corner. You can come over… so I could give you an extra shirt to go around in and also get this shirt cleaned."_

_I was truly surprised that she had offer such a thing, to a stranger but she reassured me that she knows martial arts and would probably leave me in a pile of dirt if ever I got any side thoughts. I would have laughed out loud but the look in her eyes told me that she wasn't kidding._

_Though I tried to refuse her, she was a force to be reckoned with. While walking over to her place, we got the introductions over and done with. Her place was a small two storey building, a much lived in place. It has a homey feeling attached to it. She went upstairs and I was left with the little guy who was happily sucking on his still intact ice cream. Before I could look around, she came back down with a guy's shirt in her hand. _

_She passed me the shirt and gave me the directions to the room to change into. As I was leaving, I heard the little guy say, "Dad is gonna be pissed."_

_I briefly wondered if she was taken. If she was, then I guess… I didn't know… it would hurt like hell but… I didn't know what I would have done… I stopped thinking about it and just changed into the shirt she gave me._

_They were both sitting on the couch watching TV when I came back into the living room. She asked for the stained shirt which I had in my left hand. I raised my brow and she just extended her hand asking me to hand it over. I gave her the shirt and she said that she had dry clean the shirt and return it to me later. I told her it was not necessary but she was one stubborn girl. She didn't take no for an answer and just went inside a room with my shirt in her hand. When she came back, she was empty handed. She asked for my address and I gave it to her knowing full well I can't win with her._

_I left her place and I was… happy… ecstatic even because not only I got to see her again but I was able to talk to her too. It was a nice feeling. _

_The next day, I was shaving when the door bell rang. I didn't had anyone coming over so I was curious to who might it be and shrugging I opened the door to find her standing at my door step with a bag in her hand. I called her in and she kept her gaze down to the floor while blushing furiously._

_I was confused by her actions until she said, "Looks like I caught you at the wrong time." She looked up, met my eye and travelled towards my chest before returning to the floor. I looked down and saw that I didn't have a shirt on. I apologized and quickly went in, grabbed a t-shirt and put it on. I went back out and found her looking at the family photos that are lined up at my living room walls._

"_Would you like some coffee?" I asked making her jump. She turned around with an apologetic smile tugging on her lips. She nodded and followed me to the kitchen. There was silence as I started coffee and she sat on the bar stool. It was an awkward silence until she broke it with, "You were cute as a baby."_

_I chuckled, thanking her. There was silence again and she broke it again with, "You have a nice place." I thanked her again and the silence resumed. I could tell that the silence was getting to her but I seriously didn't know what to say to her. What can you say to a girl you have just met without offending her or coming out as indecent?_

_She broke the silence again with, "You have nice collection of books. Would you mind if I take a look at it?" I asked her to go ahead and pick whatever she liked. She hopped off the stool and went towards the book case. She was so engrossed with all the books that I had to call her name three times before she heard me. _

_She smiled sheepishly and I handed her the cup of coffee. I told her she could take the book with her if she liked it so much. She refused but I insisted. She agreed and said that she would have it returned as soon as possible and we got to talking about various books we have read. That book broke the awkward silence around us for good and probably was the start of something new._

_After meeting a few more times, I got to know that that was her brother's shirt and was quickly reminded that it still was with me. I flushed and made sure to give it back soon. The next day when I went over to her place, I was thoroughly questioned by her brother, who unfortunately had a day off that day. Thankfully I was saved by her and her sister-in-law. _

_She glared daggers at her brother when he was being over bearing and finally when she had had enough, she stomped on her brother's foot and dragged me out to the park._

_She sat on a bench while I leaned on the trunk of a nearby tree. She apologized for her brother's behavior and started talking about her day and about the coming wedding of her best friend. She was so beautiful and was glowing with happiness when she started talking about her best friend that I didn't had the heart to tell her that she had lost me when she sat on that bench under the street light. She looked like an angel and I could just look at her and not get enough of it._

_It started raining and she quickly got up, ready to run for the shelter just as I held her wrist. She turned around with a confused expression and I smiled, held my hand out for her to take and asked, "Dance?"_

_She laughed, shook her head and said, "You are cheesy, do you know that. Seriously dancing in the rain, like a scene out of those romance novels?" She nevertheless took my hand._

_I brought her closer and whispered in her ear, "Of which you are a fan. Don't deny it. I know you are secretly enjoying every second of this moment."_

"_Yeah I am enjoying." She whispered back softly and we danced the night away. That night somehow brought us a little more close to each other. It ignited an emotion deeper than I could have ever imagined or read in any of the novels she keeps herself engrossed in. _

_As the time passed by, we got to know each other better. But time takes it role very seriously and with just a swipe of its ticking hand, things started changing. I got busy with my work and she was just started with her job. Yet we managed to make time for each other. It wasn't a whole lot but as the saying goes, 'something is better than nothing', I took whatever time I could get with her._

_With my uncertain working hours and her desk job and our families, we fell into a comfortable routine. She is not a morning person so sometimes, I surprised her with a bucket of cold water in my hand and a few minutes later, a loud yell and a crash and a whole lot of cursing could be heard throughout the neighborhood. Its fun riling her up and being chased by the devil incarnate, not that she could catch up to me so I slow down and let her jump on me. While she glares dagger at me, I kiss her melting down her anger. And the day gets started for us both._

_I was comfortable with her, with us yet a nagging question wouldn't leave my head. I would sit silently and ponder on it for hours in vain. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and decided to bring an end to it. I have tried many times, made desperate measure but the question wouldn't leave my mouth. It's as if something's stuck inside my throat, blocking the words from making an escape. I decided to do it another way and…_

A girl with bright emerald eyes flipped the papers in her hand and frantically searched her desk for the continuation but couldn't find it so at last she gave up and called for her assistant, Seirra. As soon as she entered, Miyu pointed to the papers she was holding not a minute earlier and asked, "Who kept this on my desk and where the rest of the papers are?"

Seirra came forward and took a look at the said papers before shrugging and said, "No idea. Those papers were in an envelope, resting neatly on your desk, when I arrived."

"'Strange' murmured Miyu and turned the envelope around. On the back of the envelope, "Meet me in the cafeteria" was written in a neat handwriting.

Curious, she got up and marched her way towards the office cafeteria. Upon reaching, she looked around and her breath got caught in her throat when she saw a brown haired guy sitting at the corner table sipping silently from his mug of coffee and looking straight at her.

She was sure, her knees buckled as she wobbly approached him. He offered her the seat across from him all the while looking in her eyes, intensely. She didn't know where to start, what to say. Her mind has finally turned into a jumbled mess and refused to help her out in forming words to her thoughts.

Before she could go into a fully fledged war with her brain, Kanata slipped a piece of paper towards her. Intrigued, she pulled at it and read the only words written on the paper making her stare at the handsome amber eyed Doctor with widened eyes.

She shook her head and leaned towards him. Reaching in his front pocket, she took the pen and wrote in the paper before sliding it towards him. She waited till he read what she wrote and then got up to get back to her desk. She took not a step toward the exit before she found herself sitting on the lap of Kanata Saionji.

She squirmed, silently telling him to let her go. He shook his head and tightened his grip on her waist. He then took her hand in his, sliding a ring in her ring finger. She gaped at the ring before looking up at him. Everything was silent for a minute, both of them staring at each other and then as if the spark is charged with lightening, she pulled at his collar and kissed the heck out of him. His eyes widened for a second before he closed them and kissed her back, tightening the hug, bringing her closer to him.

Later that day, as Seirra was looking for clients papers on Miyu's desk, she found the continuation paper which read, "Do me the honor of being Mrs. Kanata Saionji for the rest of your life?"

Below that a simple, "YES" was written in block letters.


End file.
